Raja Bhaiya back in Akhilesh Yadav Cabinet

Lucknow: Controversial independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, who had to resign from the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet in March after his name was mired in DSP Zia-ul-Haq murder case, was on Friday re-inducted in Akhilesh Yadav Cabinet.

The former Food and Civil Supplies Minister had to resign from the Cabinet after being named by DSP Haq's wife Parvind Azad in the murder case earlier this year.

Though the CBI gave clean chit to Raja Bhaiya, Azad had filed a protest application against it. He would be allocated a portfolio later.

There are a total of 59 ministers in the Cabinet and the upper limit is of 60 ministers. At present, there are 22 Cabinet Ministers including the Chief Minister, six state ministers with independent charges and 31 state ministers.

Sources said that a new face from Western UP could also be given place in the Cabinet as part of "damage control" after Muzaffarnagar riots. This is the fourth expansion in the Akhilesh Yadav Ministry in a span of 19 months.